Pivoting/sliding door for vehicles, comprising at least one door leaf and a spindle drive

ABSTRACT

A pivoting/sliding door for vehicles comprising a door leaf with a support mechanism, a stationary rotatable spindle, and a spindle nut which is connected to the door leaf via a connection element and comprising a stationary guiding rail which has a curved section for a guide element fixed to the door. The curved section is followed by a section which runs perpendicularly to the spindle axis, the connection element is connected to the spindle nut and to a console which is fixed to the door leaf in a pivotal manner about axes, and the door leaf has a closed final position upon reaching the guide element of the transition point between the curved section and the perpendicular section in the longitudinal direction but is preferably still spaced from the closed final position in an adjustment direction.

CROSS REFERENCE AND PRIORITY

This patent application is a U.S. National Phase of International Patent Application No. PCT/AT2017/060333, filed Dec. 14, 2017, which claims priority to Austrian Patent Application No. A564/2016, filed Dec. 14, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

Disclosed embodiments relate to a pivoting/sliding door for vehicles, comprising at least one door leaf and a spindle drive.

BACKGROUND

EP 1 314 626 discloses the practice of mounting a door leaf on a bearing unit that can be moved in a transverse direction relative to the car body and that also supports the drive motor which, by torque splitting, also moves the door leaf or door leaves via a drive spindle. The door leaf or leaves is/are not only longitudinally movable but also swing-mounted relative to the bearing unit. Although an inward movement perpendicular to the longitudinal movement is achieved in this way, reducing stress on the seals, the mechanical complexity and the problems with maintenance and adjustment make this design fault-prone and uneconomical.

EP 2 165 868 likewise discloses the practice, in the case of a pivoting/sliding door, of arranging a door leaf on a bearing unit that can be moved relative to the car body perpendicularly to the longitudinal movement of the door leaf and thus bringing about the outward movement and the inward movement of the door leaf, likewise together with the spindle drive. As shown by FIG. 5 of this document, it is possible in this way to achieve a relatively steep direction of this movement relative to the plane of the door opening. The disadvantages are the high outlay on components and the complex adjustment required to achieve the necessary accuracies in end positions and in the path of movement, especially as regards the translational movement of the bearing unit, the synchronization of the movements, susceptibility to faults and the associated high outlay on maintenance. Despite these complex measures, the disadvantages explained below arise in respect of the seals.

EP 957 019 discloses the use of four-bar linkages, namely parallelogram linkages, for outward movement/pivoting inward. This avoids translational movements of components but necessitates very complex supporting elements for the door leaf. An endless traction means is used as the actual drive mechanism for the longitudinal movement of the door leaves. Overall, this allows only oblique outward movements and inward movements in the closing end region, thus giving rise to the disadvantages explained below in respect of the seals.

EP 536 528 discloses a device similar to that in EP 957 019 on the basis of four-bar linkages, but the drive mechanism extends horizontally a long way beyond the door opening width and accompanies the outward movement. In addition to the space requirement, the large moving mass and the inaccessibility of important parts of the drive system, there is the problem of the seals here too.

Finally, EP 1 336 544 discloses the practice, known per se, of using an “over-center mechanism” in connection with doors for vehicles as well.

SUMMARY

In accordance with disclosed embodiments, by virtue of the fact that the direction of rotation of the spindle is the same direction as that of the spindle nut, and the guide rail has, at its closing end, a section which runs in the inward movement direction and which determines the closed position of the door in the longitudinal direction and is directed at right angles to the spindle axis, with the result that the guide element blocks the movement of the spindle nut in the longitudinal direction of the spindle axis in the course of closure.

In accordance with disclosed embodiments, in this way, a connection for conjoint rotation between the spindle and the spindle nut is formed, with the result that the spindle nut is pivoted in a pivoting movement in a rotational direction around the spindle axis and this pivoting movement is used to drive the door leaf as far as the closing position in the inward movement direction and to lock it. In accordance with disclosed embodiments, it is thus possible to provide a simple and reliable door drive through the rotatability of the spindle nut relative to the door leaf.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Disclosed embodiments are explained in greater detail in the figures with reference to an illustrative embodiment for the left-hand half of a spindle drive for a two-leaf door entry. In the figures, which are purely schematic:

FIG. 1 shows the door leaf in the open position and a cross section A-A;

FIG. 2 shows the door leaf at the beginning of the inward movement and a cross section B-B;

FIG. 3 shows the door leaf in the inward movement region and a cross section C-C;

FIG. 4 shows the door leaf closed in the longitudinal direction L and a cross section D-D;

FIG. 5 shows the door leaf also closed in the inward movement direction E and locked in an over-center position, and a cross section E-E;

FIG. 6 shows the door leaf locked in an over-center position and a cross section F-F;

FIG. 7, in two views, shows a detail of the spindle nut in the closed end position; and

FIG. 8 shows an example of the arrangement of a spring which assists over-center locking.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Pivoting/sliding doors and the mechanisms and drives thereof have been known for a long time and should therefore not require any explanation where they do not affect the utility of the disclosed embodiments. Just briefly, it should be noted that the door leaves may perform a very wide variety of movements in detail in their movement during opening and closing, depending on the philosophy of the designers and operators, ranging from a purely translational movement, during which a suitably defined door leaf plane is moved in parallel at all times, to extremely different movements of the main closing edge and of the secondary closing edge, wherein the former undergoes an S-shaped movement in the closing end region while the latter undergoes an almost purely rotary movement. The disadvantages and problems mentioned below arise in each of these variants.

In general, it may be observed that the inward and outward movement of the door leaf in known spindle drives for pivoting/sliding doors is often brought about by a guide rail which is curved in the inward movement region. The disadvantage with this solution is that the door seals are ideally not brought up perpendicularly to the sealing plane but at an angle which differs from a right angle.

During the closing process, this leads to an increased expenditure of force and to wear on the seals due to the seals being dragged along the sealing plane. Here, moreover, the inward force for the door is obtained only from the longitudinal force of the spindle nut, leading to shallow curves in the inward movement of the door and thus to undesirably wide sealing surfaces on the secondary closure edge of the door. There are also known drives of the kind mentioned above which use special transmissions with torque splitting, e.g., planetary transmissions, for the inward movement of the door. It is also common to mount the motor unit in such a way that it can rotate about its own axis and to use the torque (counter torque) counteracting the spindle torque for the inward movement and outward movement of the door by means of corresponding devices. The disadvantages with these drive solutions are the high mechanical complexity and the associated production and assembly costs.

Disclosed embodiments provide a spindle drive configured in such a way that the above-mentioned disadvantages are avoided. In other words, by virtue of the fact that the direction of rotation of the spindle is the same direction as that of the spindle nut, and the guide rail has, at its closing end, a section which runs in the inward movement direction and which determines the closed position of the door in the longitudinal direction and is directed at right angles to the spindle axis, with the result that the guide element blocks the movement of the spindle nut in the longitudinal direction of the spindle axis in the course of closure. In this way, a connection for conjoint rotation between the spindle and the spindle nut is formed, with the result that the spindle nut is pivoted in a pivoting movement in a rotational direction around the spindle axis and this pivoting movement is used to drive the door leaf as far as the closing position in the inward movement direction and to lock it. It may therefore be stated that the prior art, as given by the initially mentioned EP 1 314 626, is notional.

It is thus possible to provide a simple and reliable door drive through the rotatability of the spindle nut relative to the door leaf. All previous spindle drives had provided the spindle nut in such a way that it was either fixed for conjoint rotation to the door leaf or to a door leaf supporting part which, according to disclosed embodiments, is not present in this form, and hence made the longitudinal movement “hard”, with all the disadvantages also for the loading of the spindle in the course of the final movement during closure.

In the description, the words “door leaf” and “door wing” are used as synonyms and, for the sake of brevity, only the word “door” is also generally used since there is no risk of confusion with the door as a whole. The inward movement direction corresponds to the direction referred to in many documents as the final direction of the closing movement.

In this disclosure, the terms “front”, “rear”, “up”, “down” etc. are used in the customary form and with reference to the object in the usual position of use thereof. That is to say that, in the case of a weapon, the mouth of the barrel is “at the front”, the bolt or slide is moved toward the “rear” by the explosion gases, that the movement of a door leaf in the closing direction takes place “toward the front” etc. The phrase “the direction of rotation of the spindle is the same direction as that of the spindle nut”, as indicated above, means that the rotation of the spindle nut relative to the spindle axis brings about a slowing of the movement of the door leaf in the direction of the spindle axis during the closing process explained below.

In the description and the claims, “substantially” means a deviation of up to 10% of the indicated value, both downward and upward, if it is physically possible in other respects only in the appropriate direction and, in the case of degree indications (angle and temperature), ±10° is intended thereby.

A full motion cycle of the door, beginning with the door leaf 3 in the open position, is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Each of the figures shows, in the main view thereof, a horizontal plan view or a schematic horizontal section through the left-hand upper region of a door opening of a vehicle, e.g., of a rail vehicle; and, in a second view thereof a vertical section indicated in the main view.

As is apparent from the figures overall, a door leaf 3 is held by a support mechanism 14, which is known from the prior art and is therefore not explained in greater detail, and is guided in the horizontal plane perpendicular to the plane of the door opening (transverse direction E) by means of a guide rail 4 interacting with a guide element 7 and a connection element 6. Guidance in the horizontal plane parallel to the plane of the door opening (longitudinal direction L) is accomplished by means of a spindle 2 and a spindle nut 1, which likewise acts on the connection element 6. Since they are not part of the disclosed embodiments and have been known to those skilled in the art for decades in various forms and embodiments from the prior art, as is also apparent from the cited literature, the guides in the region of the secondary closing edge 15 and of the lower edge of the door leaf 3 are not illustrated. The same applies to the support mechanism 14 which, although illustrated because of its arrangement in the region of the drive, is not explained in greater detail and can be embodied in many different ways.

FIG. 1 shows the fully open position: if the spindle 2 begins to turn in the closing direction of rotation S in this initial position of the door 3, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the pushed-out door 3 is moved in the longitudinal direction L by the spindle nut 1. The actual drive for the spindle (motor and, where applicable, transmission together with control system) is not explained in greater detail since a virtually infinite choice is available, it has nothing to do with the disclosed embodimetns and is known in numerous versions from the prior art.

A guide element 7 connected in a fixed manner to the door 3, e.g., a roller, is guided in or on the guide rail 4, and therefore the door 3 also follows the entire course of the guide rail 4 by means of the connection element 6.

When the guide element 7 has reached the curved part 9 of the guide rail 4, as shown in FIG. 2, a movement in the inward movement direction E (FIG. 3) is superimposed on the movement of the door 3 in the longitudinal direction L if the spindle 2 is rotated further in the direction of the arrow S, and the inward movement of the door 3 is thus initiated. In the initial position illustrated, the straight connecting line 12-13 forms the initial angle B with the straight connecting line 12-11.

This is shown in FIG. 3. Since, apart from its rotation, the spindle 2 is fixed in location relative to the door opening P, a pivoting movement in the same direction of rotation S as the spindle 2 about the spindle axis 12 (FIG. 2) is imparted to the spindle nut 1, via the connection element 6, by the inward-pivoting door 3.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, the door 3 is fully closed in the longitudinal direction L but not in the inward movement direction E when the guide element 7 has reached the end of the 90° curve of the guide rail. The guide element 7 connected in a fixed manner to the door 3 is in a dead center position at the beginning of the guide rail region 10 which runs perpendicular to the spindle axis 12. Since this section 10 of the guide rail 4 is perpendicular to the axis 12 of the spindle 2, the movement of the spindle nut 1 is now blocked in direction L, and therefore there is a connection for conjoint rotation between the spindle 2 and the spindle nut 1 for the entirety of any further movement. A rotary motion in the direction of rotation S about the spindle axis 12 is thus imparted to the spindle nut 1 by the torque of the rotating spindle 2.

This rotation process is transferred via the connection element 6 to the door 3 and, in accordance with the crank mechanism principle, is converted into a linear motion of the door 3 in the inward movement direction E, and thus the door 3 is now also closed and locked in the inward movement direction E, as shown in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, it is optionally possible, by a further rotation of the spindle 2 and hence pivoting of the spindle nut 1 through an angle A in direction of rotation S, out of the dead center position shown in FIG. 5, to achieve a secure over-center locking position. A rotation stop prevents further rotation in direction of rotation S when the final closed position of the spindle nut 1 is reached. The door 3 is now fully closed and locked and cannot be opened by external forces. Contacts or sensors (not illustrated) are used to switch off the motor driving the spindle if it has not either already been switched off in the position corresponding to FIG. 5 upon cessation of the over-center movement or, on the contrary, has some further tasks to perform through utilization of the reaction torque.

To open the door 3, a reversal in the direction of rotation of the drive motor and thus of the spindle 2 is used to pivot the spindle nut 1, which is as it were blocked by the guide rail section 10 in the opening longitudinal direction L, back out of the dead center position, counter to the closing direction of rotation S, by means of the spindle torque, the door 3 is moved outward and moves into the open position; the remainder of the motion sequence already explained is also reversed and, at the end of the opening movement, the drive motor is stopped by appropriate control (sensors, etc.) and the initial position in FIG. 1 has been reached.

Forces which occur close to the end of closing, during the inward movement of the door, are diverted directly to the spindle bearing 5 from the spindle nut 1 through appropriate shaping of the spindle nut 1 and of a stop 8 and thus kept away from the spindle 2 itself, as shown in FIG. 7, for example. In the case of a power failure or emergency operation, the door 3 can easily be unlocked and opened by pivoting the spindle nut 1 or rotating the spindle 2 counter to the closing direction of rotation S by means of a manually operated emergency opening device. As an alternative, it is also possible to provide a stop on the fixed outer side of the bearing or the surroundings thereof and thus also to relieve the bearing itself of loads, but, in this case, the rotary motion at the moment of impact and the question of adjustment need to be considered. With a knowledge of the disclosed embodiments and of the dynamic and geometrical boundary conditions, a person skilled in the art can easily make a choice here.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 for example, at least one spring acting in the closing direction of rotation S on the spindle nut 1, the spring being shown between the bracket 16 and the connection element 6, optionally holds the door mechanism locked securely in the over-center position (or dead center position), both in normal operation and in emergency operation, e.g., in the event of a power failure, when the door is closed. As can be seen directly from FIG. 8, it is also possible for the spring to be provided between the connection element 6 and the spindle nut 1.

Since, during the outward movement (opening) and the inward movement (closing) of the door, the direction of rotation of the spindle and the spindle nut pivoting movement is in each case the same, the actually effective spindle pitch during the door closing process becomes gradually smaller, as mentioned at the outset, and falls to zero when the door 3 is closed in the longitudinal direction L (guide element in section 10). Given a constant spindle speed, this leads during the closing process to a continuously rising longitudinal closing force at the spindle nut while the closing speed (in direction L) of the spindle nut falls continuously. These effects are advantageous during closing and opening in the case of pivoting/sliding doors: on the one hand, a higher force for pressing the door seals against the vehicle sealing plane is available in the closing region and, on the other hand, the door 3 is closed in a way which reduces the stress on the entire mechanism by virtue of the gradual deceleration of the spindle nut 1.

Since, according to the disclosed embodiments, the inward and outward movement direction of the door 3 in the closing region is directed perpendicularly (vertically, normally) to the longitudinal axis 12 of the spindle 2 and to the sealing plane (represented in the illustrative embodiment by the door leaf plane parallel thereto), rubbing of the door seals on the sealing plane in the closing phase or opening phase is prevented almost completely. In the closing region, the toggle lever effect which comes into effect furthermore assists the door closing process. In the case of double-wing doors, there is end-to-end contact without rubbing relative motion of the seals against one another.

Another advantage that can be achieved according to the disclosed embodiments that, when the door is closed, forces acting perpendicularly to the door surface, specifically forces acting outward, such as those especially which arise due to passengers leaning against the door when trains come together or wagons are overfull, are transmitted directly by the door, via the connection element 6, to the locking mechanism, thereby relieving the load on the longitudinal guides of the door. Another significant advantage for pivoting/sliding doors that can be achieved according to the disclosed embodiments is that, on the one hand, the spindle nut 1 brings about the inward movement of the door 3 during the door closing process and, on the other hand, it simultaneously serves as a locking element. This makes it possible to dispense with additional devices for inward movement of the door and with locking devices, thereby making the entire drive simpler and cheaper both to produce and to operate and adjust.

The drive according to the disclosed embodiments is particularly suitable for streetcars, metros or regional trains and it can be used equally for doors with one door leaf or with two door leaves. In the case of double-wing embodiments, there are likewise no rubbing relative movements between the seals involved.

It can be combined with many types of support mechanisms, and this is an easy matter for a person skilled in the art, given a knowledge of the disclosed embodiments. If the guide 4, 7 is designed with appropriate tolerance for changes in height, it is also possible to use support mechanisms in which there is a change in the height of the door leaf, e.g., due to pivoting mechanisms. In implementation, the spindle can be mounted with axial play in order to trigger a sensor or some similar action by appropriate axial movement at the end of the closing movement.

The guide rail does not have to have the shape of a reverse U but can be designed as a single bar which is contacted on both sides by rollers on the bracket 15, while the support mechanism 14 can be arranged at some other point and the term “curved section” should be interpreted broadly: as illustrated, it can have rectilinear partial regions or, alternatively, partial regions which do not have a constant curvature, or can have combinations thereof. With increasing curvature (curvature inversely proportional to the radius of curvature) in the closing direction, optionally with a continuous increase, similar or identical to a clothoid, gradual braking of the door leaf in direction L and gradual acceleration in direction E is achieved. This entails a particularly gentle change in movement in direction L and, at the same time, forceful inward movement in direction E at the end of the closing movement. However, the essential point is that, ultimately, it makes a transition to a straight-line section running perpendicularly to the spindle axis 12. Here, however, the vertical position of the axes 11 and 12 does not have to be the illustrated position.

In the figures, the connection element 6 is illustrated as situated below the spindle and designed with a matching curvature, but this is not essential. If there is sufficient space available, arrangement above the spindle with an adapted curvature is possible and then also brings the advantage, by virtue of inherent weight and the torque created thereby, of pushing the mechanism into the over-center position.

It should furthermore be pointed out that all the components and elements which are not fundamentally related to the disclosed embodiments are not mentioned in the description but are, of course, present in doors according to the disclosed embodiments, these including assembly brackets, fastening elements such as support brackets or the like, door surrounds, seals, outward-movement devices for the regions around the secondary closing edge 15 and/or the lower edge region of the door leaf, operating elements, drives together with the transmissions and mechanisms thereof, lights, sensors, emergency actuation devices, additional locking and/or unlocking mechanisms, and all the other secondary elements of pivoting/sliding doors.

In summary, it can be stated that, by virtue of the—limited—capacity of the spindle nut to turn relative to the door leaf and the support mechanism, the disclosed embodimetns provide a pivoting/sliding door for vehicles which comprises at least one door leaf 3, a support mechanism 14, a rotatable spindle 2 arranged in a fixed location in the vehicle and having a spindle axis 12 and a spindle nut 1, which is connected to the door leaf 3 via a connection element 6, and comprising a guide rail 4, which has a curved section, is arranged in a fixed location in the vehicle and guides a guide element 7 fixed to the door leaf. It is characterized in that:

a) the curved section 9 of the guide rail 4 is followed by a section which runs perpendicularly to the spindle axis 12,

b) the connection element 6 is connected, in such a way as to be pivotable about axes 11, 13 parallel to the spindle axis 12, both to the spindle nut 1 and to the bracket 15 fixed to the door leaf, and,

c) when the guide element 7 reaches the transition from the curved section 9 to the perpendicular section 10, the door leaf 3 has the closed end position in the longitudinal direction L but is optionally still spaced from the closed end position in an inward movement direction E.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   01 spindle nut -   02 spindle -   03 door, door leaf -   04 guide rail -   05 bearing -   06 connection element -   07 guide element -   08 stop -   09 curved section -   10 perpendicular section -   A over-center angle -   B initial angle -   E inward movement direction -   L longitudinal direction -   P door opening -   S direction of rotation, closing direction -   11 door axis -   12 spindle axis -   13 nut axis -   14 support mechanism -   15 secondary closing edge -   16 bracket -   17 nut collar -   18 bearing sleeve -   19 spring 

1. A pivoting/sliding door for vehicles, the door comprising: at least one door leaf; a support mechanism for the door leaf; a rotatable spindle arranged in a fixed location in the vehicle and having a spindle axis and a spindle nut, which is connected to the door leaf via a connection element, wherein the rotatable spindle includes a guide rail, which has a curved section, and is arranged in a fixed location in the vehicle and guides a guide element fixed to the door, wherein the curved section of the guide rail (4) is followed by a section which runs perpendicularly to the spindle axis, wherein the connection element is connected, in such a way as to be pivotable about axes parallel to the spindle axis, both to the spindle nut and to a bracket fixed to the door leaf, and wherein, when the guide element reaches the transition from the curved section to the perpendicular section, the door leaf has the closed end position in the longitudinal direction.
 2. The pivoting/sliding door of claim 1, further comprising a spring acting on the spindle nut in the closing direction.
 3. The pivoting/sliding door of claim 1, wherein the curved section of the guide rail has an increasing curvature when viewed in the closing direction.
 4. The pivoting/sliding door, wherein the bracket has components of the support mechanism positioned on the door-leaf side.
 5. The pivoting/sliding door of claim 1, wherein, when the door leaf has the closed end position in the longitudinal direction, the door leaf is spaced from the closed end position in an inward movement direction.
 6. The pivoting/sliding door of claim 2, wherein the curved section of the guide rail has an increasing curvature when viewed in the closing direction. 